Marty Murphy passes away

I just now received an Email from Judy, a neice of Marty Murphy, that my long time friend and collegue, passed away approximately 24 hours ago . . no other details were given . . . Strange thing, I was tentatively planning on a west coast trip this year . . and visit MM.

I first met Marty back in 1991 . . while visiting my son who had just been released from the U.S. Army active duty.

I remember my friend, Bob Weber Sr., who was a very close friend of Marty from way back when the Webers lived for a short while in the valley . . had arranged a meeting with Marty and me at the Hilton, where I was staying . . in Encino, off Ventura Blvd.

Marty was kind enough to come over to the hotel, and we met in the restaurant. I remember him exchanging a lot of stories after lunch and a few drinks . . A still have this great cartoon he drew for me in the trusty sketch pad I always carry with me.

Marty was well known for his many cartoons dipicting a hollywood tycoon in his office of Monument Pictures or something . . . interviewing some gorgeous ditzy blonde or something . . I used to adore those guys he drew . . they looked EXACTLY like a hollywood producer was supposed to look like . . or like you imagined or pictured a cartoon of him . . I asked him to draw one of those stereotypes for me and I've got it right here . .

Wall Street Journal cartoon

Cartoon of the week

Cartoon of day

You would THINK this one would be a natural for Ben Franklin's magazine: The Saturday Evening Post . . ..

New Yorker Reject

Here is a cartoon that belonged in the New Yorker way back around 10 years ago when I first sent it to them . . this one was rejected as were over 19,000-20,000 other cartoons . . this one cartoon I always liked, which is rare for me . . I quit counting . . . Bob Barnes told me in 1954 at the Carolina Pines Restaurant on Melrose Avenue in LA-LA land that he was never satisfied with his work, and it was rare that he DID complete a cartoon that he really liked . . I guess I'm in pretty good company. I feel the same way.

Others in that gabfest that night was ALI ( Al Isler ), Burr Shafer ( Never could spell his name ). Jim Williams, and the very handsome Phil Interlandi. I was only 18 at the time, but I DO remember Phil Interlandi had a couple of good looking waitresses giving him the eye all night . . And I remember Bob Barnes telling me after looking at a few of my cartoons that he had no doubt in his mind that if I kept at it and did not give up, that I would some day sell the majors . . I was only 18 at the time and I was too dumb to know any better . . so I believed him . .

The moral of the story . . be careful what you hope for . . you might get it ! . . Thank You Bob Barnes, wherever you are.

This cartoon ended up and appeared in Barron's . . which at that time was getting second looks after The New Yorker, which I was POSITIVE I was on the verge on connecting there at any moment. Every time I send a batch there, I think the same thing . . When will I take the hint ?

A better question is, when will Jacob Lewis, David Remnick and Bob Mankoff finally cave in and buy a cartoon from me . . WHEN . . ? WHEN . .? ARGH-H . . WHEN ? ! . .

Oldie Better Homes & Gardens cartoon

Here is an oldie back from the 90's when BH&G used to use cartoons . . . back when the first reverberations were starting to be felt by the diminishing readership in the print magazines . .

Cartoon of the Day

Poetic Wisdom

" O Solitude, the soul's best friend, That man
acquainted with himself dost make. "

CHARLES COTTON, 1630 - 1687
English Poet

Wisdom

" Tell me what someone pays AT-TEN-SHUN to . . and I'll tell you what his IN-TEN-SHUN is. "

PAUL MEYER, Motivational Guru
FOUNDER and CEO of
SUCCESS MOTIVATION INTERNATIONAL
WACO, TEXAS

Cartoon of the week

I often wonder what the expression on the thug's face would be if you tried this ? - - Gosh, I'd like to see someone try it. You could sell tickets if you had a one-way mirror somehow set up . . you could have the victim in a nice $2000.00 Brooks Brothers suit dressed like the sales manager in the Glen Gary Glen Ross film, Alec Baldwin . . . The victim could be loitering around like he's waiting for someone . . glancing at his watch from time to time . . pacing around near the dark alley . . sooner or later . . a fish comes up with a gun or a knife or a screwdriver . . THEN, out jumps the guy behind the camera and says . . " Smile ! . . You're on Candid Camera ! "
Any volunteers ?

Cartoon of the week

Cartoon of day

This cartoon was just sold to Leathernck Magazine yesterday. I sold my first work to the mag way back in 1957 while stationed with the Marines in Okinawa . . . . I had sent a batch of seven and the then Cartoon Editor, Staff-Sergeant Gordon Bess said he wanted to buy two, and enclosed a check. Said they liked to buy from Marines at the time. I went on to appear sporatically throughout the years in the magazine. After his stint with the Jarheads, Gordon Bess went on to sell a comic strip called REDEYE to King Features . . last I heard, Mell Casson was doing the strip for King, and has been fairly successful.

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

" Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the view they take of them. "

EPICTETUS

Wisdom

Have just started reading the great epic poem; THE ANEID by Virgil. If Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Emperor of Rome had to read it while in high school, I think it is not a bad idea if I at least try to tackle it . . . N-N-NoW ! ( As Kramer would say )

" They are able who think they are able. "

VIRGIL, 70 - 19 BC
ROMAN POET

Wall Street Journal cartoon - Roy Delgado

This cartoon appeared in the very recent Tuesday, August 11 newspaper . .

Cartoon of the Day

What will probably come first , is you will be able to SUE over the internet. It's coming . . why not ?

Cartoon of the Day

Factoid #6

" Fallacy is an often plausible argument using false or invalid inference. "

Where in the hell was this wisdom before I was sold a bill of goods or ideas many times in my life and why am I just NOW being enlightened . . where the hell have I been ? ? Hel--l-ow . . . Anybody home ? ?

I honestly think that I am just NOW " Getting it " . . .

It's a little like the story of my life . . A day late and a dollar short . . but, hey, I'm not complaining, I know how to adapt . . like the great Niccolo Machiavelli taught, you MUST have the wisdom and skill and knowledge and willingness to adapt to what is confronting you, if you desire to succeed.

Like a guy that used to work for me by the name of Buck Boswell, he was a gambling racetrack-addicted talented journeyman signpainter, high school dropout, but one helluva competent truck lettering man . . He worked for me for 26 years . . and I learned and remembered this one observation that he had made about being a successful businessman, which was a 100% "truism" and has stuck in my mind for its marvelous truth.

The remark was always uttered made many times when we dicussed what was the main reason for the 95% failure rate of a new budding sign company which almost always collapsed, whether it was in a few weeks, or a few months or a few years . . these companies could never really figure out WHY they failed . . . most of them would say " I'm pretty good . . " . . " I can't figure it out " . .

Of course there can be and there are usually a miltitude of reasons of why they failed, BUT, BUT . . . This is the gem he would always utter . . ( Since he was one of the best in his field and so was yours truly, and we knew it, and THAT was why we were succeeding . . ) This was the gem that was not known by all of the " failures ".

Buck would utter:

" You don't know how good you have to be to know how bad you really are. "

Kind of reminds me what the great guru of many successful businessmen, Earl Nightingale said. He would advise for everyone to endeavor and strive and to become the top 5% in your field. Because if you DO, you would always have a job . . even during the Great Depression of the 30's . . . they STILL needed janitors, bricklayers, painters, signpainters or whatever trade you are in . . . These top 5% kept their jobs because their services were still needed . . . ie: not EVERYONE got layed off !

As everyone knows, of course there is always someone better than you . . . ( except maybe Mohammad Ali, right ? )

You can measure how much a machine is capable of producing, like a bricklaying machine, etc . . . but you cannot measure and do not know what a human being is able to create and you don't know how good you can become.

I say . . " GO FOR IT ! "

When we got to this place called " LIFE " . . I believe that we all have access to a " Storehouse of Abundance " which actually exists . . it is there . . ( Remember, Seek and ye shall find . . . knock and it shall be opened unto you . ) and you can choose to get all you want, and you can go to this "Storehouse" with a sieve or a teaspoon . . or like some people, come with a steamshovel . . because life doesn't CARE what you get . . you get what you got, because that is what you expected to get.

Things that you " want " from this Storehouse of Abundance can be either tangible OR intangible . . things to HAVE, or things to BE . .

Some people have a problem with trying to " make " a lot of money . . The good news is that you can GIVE it away ! ( End of problem )

Some people don't expect much . . and ' Life " kindly obliges.

Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Most people say: " I'll believe it when I SEE it. "

Unfortunately, like Dr. Wayne Dyer teaches . . they got it backwards . .

" See it and you will BELIEVE it ! "

Nuf sed.

It

Cartoon of the Day

Wisdom

" We learn wisdom from failure much more than success. We often discover what we WILL do,
by finding out what we will NOT do. "

SAMUEL SMILES, 1812 - 1904
Scottish Author and Social reformer

New Delgado Cartoon Book in the works

This new softcover 8x8 inches, will have a laminated color cover and approximately 196 pages with black and white cartoons in the interior. Many cartoons will be reprints from a wide array of general magazines and will include a nice selection of Roy's favorites on the inside. The book will be humor for the family and will be available at Walmart stores. Look for it in the winter of 2010.

Roy guarantees that if you do not break out at least ten times with a healthy hearty bellylaugh while enjoying the book, he will double your money back and quit drawing altogether and join ACORN. ( and move to Chicago )

Also included in the book will be an interesting interview by Dr.Peter Plum, PhD., a well known Brit who is also a cartoonist, barrister and therapist, originally from Birmingham, ( not Alabama, but the U.K. ) and is currently living in the United States. Dr. Plum was a student of cartooning under the tutelage of Roy Delgado.

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

" The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave.
If you are none of these you can be sure that it will kill you too but there will be no hurry. "

Ernest Hemingway
A FAREWELL TO ARMS

I love this one, I asked my friend Jim Reilly to get it for me, I knew he had it. He just sent it to me, and here it is. It's ironic . . and the guy who wrote this ended it all with a shotgun blast . .

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

Here is a really great quotation . . by the great one . . A great reminder for everyone . . and especially young people who are going out into the world to " find themselves " . . as they used to say . .

" Remember what is unbecoming to do is also unbecoming to speak of. "

SOCRATES

Wisdom ( Write this one down )

While recently emailing back and forth with my special nephew, Ron Chavez of Fremont, California, who I think of Ron as a really good Humanitarian ( with a capital H ), in my mind . .


He shared with me a quick story, . . while visiting his very close friend and priest , who is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease . . get this, first, the priest has a carboard coffin all ready in the next room with a sign affixed reading, ( write this profound statement down ) " Less is more. "

Man, it doesn't get any better than this !

Thank you, Ron . . and God bless.

Cartoon of the week

Like I said, I love animal cartoons, and cats are my favorite . . I have TWO cats . . Midnight, a nice lady and all black as midnight . . . and Rocky, as in Rocky Balboa . . Rocky is all black with white socks and white whiskers. Kind of a " feisty " personality . . unfortunately, he's overweight and he's been mugged twice by a large overweight tabby bully in the neighborhood where he ended up getting cut up, ripped, and gashed and needing stitches and hospitalized for a week twice in six months.

I guess that's the way it goes . .

Cartoon of day

I like and am fond of all types of animal cartoons . . Right off the bat I think of the off-beat animals of Gary Larson . . Sam Gross' cats are too much . . Am a great fan of Dan Reynolds barnyard antics . . cat cartoons . . dog cartoons . . any kind of animals . . I love 'em all . .

Wisdom

" There is no folly equal to that of throwing away friendship, in a world where friendship is so rare. "

Edward Bulwer-Lytton
English Dramatist, Novelist and Politician